we'll say live life, i know
by ShadowPhantom14
Summary: Throughout Shadow's life an old police box and its owner have left their marks. Though maybe not in the right order. [[Knowledge of both fandoms required]]


That box... He'd know that old blue police box anywhere. It had been in a storage room on the ARK and belonged to an odd visitor. The memories were bittersweet.

A strange old doctor whose purpose on the colony was never divulged. Maria had latched onto him almost instantly. His mannerisms echoed that of her grandfather, Shadow's creator. Shadow had always thought the best of him because he made Maria happy and told them interesting stories of Earth from his travels. Maria had once asked if she could travel with him when she got better. "Well you'll have to get well soon for that then, won't you? I am an old man after all." It had been said with a smile but Shadow never missed the sadness in his eyes when he added, "We'll discuss it when you're cured." These days Shadow wonders if somehow the old doctor knew what was to happen. It's impossible of course but the look in those eyes...

And of course the police box they'd discovered in a storage room ("Oh that's my TARDIS." "What's in it?" "Important Doctory things. I'll tell you later. Didn't you want to show me something, Maria?") now sits on a street corner more than fifty years later. It's apparently been repaired; the windows and light have been replaced and the ambulance sign is now missing. But beyond the minor changes it's the same box and Shadow wonders if the strange doctor is near.

It's been more than fifty years though and he was already an old man when they first met. He's probably dead by now. Maybe the box has been passed down to a family member? Shadow crosses the street to take a closer look at it when a young man with short dark hair in a leather jacket steps out and stares at him. Yes, this must be the old doctor's grandson. Those eyes are too similar to not be a close relation.

Shadow stares back and the silence finally breaks when he asks about the original owner. The young man seems confused and brings up not having met Shadow before. "Of course not." Shadow replies. "I knew the _original_ owner. Or a previous one. An old doctor that dressed like a magician."

The young man says he recalls an old doctor owning the box a long time ago but that Shadow could not have met him. Not to mention he certainly didn't dress like a magician. Despite this their interest in each other is piqued and Shadow is invited to tag along to whatever plans the young man has. He introduces himself with the same title as the doctor Shadow knew. The profession must be a family thing.

When he finds out the box is a spaceship that can teleport he realizes that must be how his doctor got to the ARK without being listed on the shuttle personnel logs. But why had he been there? Surely not just to hang out with Shadow and Maria. As a doctor he was likely there for medical reasons, yet no-one in the medical wing had ever mentioned him after their first meeting.

When he finds out the box is also a time machine he spends the next week in his assigned room, mind scrambled over a significant choice he now has to make. He phones Rouge once to ask her advice. No context, but a hypothetical situation to make her worry less. She only tells him that event made him who he is today. The young doctor seems glad to have Shadow around again and tries to pry out why he'd pulled away after the reveal. "Regrets?" he asks. In that moment Shadow's eyes match the young doctor's; far too old and have seen too much, yet there is a spark of life when his mouth curves into a genuine smile. "I thought about my sister. She'd want me to let go."

When he finds out the young doctor is an alien he is distant for a day as memories of the Black Arms are not pleasant. He spends said day in the ship's library researching the Time Lords. The next morning he's asked if he's all right. He says he's fine, just that the reveal was surprising. "Never met an alien before?" the young doctor asks. Shadow merely smirks. "A friendly one, no." The ensuing discussion sees them bond over their heritage; one half human, the other half alien.

When he finds out about regeneration he flips his lid. It's the same box and the same man, just a new body when the previous one died. How dare he act like they've never met before! How dare he spend all this time pretending! Shadow has had enough lies in his life and has one foot out the ship's doors when the young doctor grabs his shoulder and reminds him that time travel is a convoluted thing, especially when you have multiple lives. Slowly Shadow voices his realization. "You don't remember because it hasn't happened yet for you." The young doctor brings him back inside with, "Exactly. So no spoilers!" and leads him to the console. "Now, where to?"

* * *

The Doctor is without a companion for now after the loss of Clara and the TARDIS sees fit to land herself in a storage room on a space colony called ARK. He has a vague recollection that he's heard of this place before but can't see why the TARDIS would come here.

Psychic paper gets him clearance to everywhere and no-one seems to be in any danger. It's just a research colony. He's on his way back to ask his ship 'why here?' when a young girl stops him by tugging on his jacket. "Sorry to bother you, sir, but I got turned around a few halls ago. Um, can you help me to the medical wing?"

He doesn't know where that is but she looks about to collapse so he agrees. After a few steps she does, so when they finally make it to the medical wing he's carrying her bridal style. He stays by her bedside until she wakes up, in the meantime asking about for what's wrong with her.

"You don't know?"

"I'm new to this station." he says, flashing the psychic paper again. "What's ailing her?"

"NIDS, sir. I'm afraid it's terminal. Her grandfather is looking into a cure but there's no guarantees."

The conversation ends when the girl wakes up and thanks him for helping her, and then a short spiky figure enters the room. "Shadow!" she shouts with glee as the figure rushes to her side.

He and the Doctor exchange a glance, and while Shadow's is merely confused the Doctor's is full of pity. He recognizes the hedgehog from their adventures in one of his previous incarnations. They had laid into him for not recalling their time together on the ARK. Oh it's like River all over again. Their timelines are out of sync.

"You're new here, aren't you?" Shadow asks.

The Doctor forgoes the psychic paper and offers a hand. "I'm the Doctor."

"Shadow." he takes the offer. "I assume you know my sister?"

The girl in the bed speaks up, "He helped me get here when I was lost down the lower corridors."

Shadow sighs. "Maria, please be more careful."

Sister? The Doctor looks over at the girl in the bed, then back at Shadow, who turns to ask him, "Thank you. You never gave your name. Doctor who?"

There is confusion in Shadow's eyes but that darkness, the darkness to parallel his own, that is missing. Or rather, it hasn't happened yet. It hits him now that his sister, Maria, she is his Clara. And Shadow is so much stronger than he. Given the chance to save her via time travel, the Doctor broke and did so. But Shadow...

 _'Regrets?'_

 _'I thought about my sister. She'd want me to let go.'_

"Just Doctor." he says with a smile. To avoid paradox he has to stay long enough to make an impression on Shadow. That doesn't mean he can't stay for other reasons. Like this poor young girl he knows won't survive. "Well as long as we're all here how about some stories?" He'll let her live vicariously. "I'm something of a traveler so anything's game."

Shadow smiles and wow, he wishes he'd seen more of that in the past – in Shadow's future. "We'll be going to Earth when Maria is cured. Anything to prepare us?"

The Doctor returns the smile. "Well you're in luck! I can tell you some fascinating stories about Earth!"

* * *

There's a place she needs to go. Now that she's got the TARDIS back she takes it to Earth, parks it in front of a familiar military headquarters and tells her companions to wait inside. This is personal and must be done alone.

She's never liked soldiers in any of her incarnations but exceptions have always been made. She waits outside, not long since she'd looked ahead for his arrival time, and nervously twists her new coat in her hands. How will this go?

Appearing via Chaos Control Shadow starts across the parking lot for the door to GUN Headquarters, but stops several feet from where he started. Standing there is a familiar blue box. In front of it, a young blonde woman. One look at her face and he could almost believe her to be an older Maria. Neither say anything as Shadow skates his way up to the woman, then looks between her and the TARDIS. "Are you someone new he's picked up?" he finally asks.

Well, not totally unexpected. "It's been a long time Shadow, but I remember now. I'm glad you and your sister enjoyed my stories. That's all we really are in the end."

Red eyes widen and he tries to keep his jaw from falling open with little success. "Doctor?"

At the recognition she breaks out into a grin. "Regeneration is a lottery. Isn't this new one brilliant?"

He's smiling too now. One of those genuine smiles she'd always wanted to see more of. "It's certainly unexpected. You almost look like her."

Oh, she hadn't thought of that. "I guess you two must have left quite an impression. She had her heart in the right place. So do you I hope. Are you helping people here?"

"She made me promise. I hope you're doing the same?"

"I swear the more I save the universe the more it needs saving! I doubt I'll ever not be helping people."

Silence falls between them but it is not an awkward one. It's a well-worn silence of close friends who don't need to speak to communicate. He steps close enough to take her hand. She squeezes back. After a moment that feels like eternity Shadow pulls his hand away. "Good luck out there, Doctor."

"Same to you, Shadow."

"Will I see you again?"

"Oh probably. Earth is always in need of a Doctor." And with that she waves goodbye to him and steps back into the TARDIS.

Shadow watches as the blue box makes that familiar sound and vanishes from the parking lot. For a moment longer after it's gone he still lingers, processing the encounter. A sudden tap on his shoulder sends him spinning around, fists in the air ready to punch something, only to see a chuckling Rouge. "Guess I should learn by now not to startle you, huh?" she says.

He merely rolls his eyes and lowers his arms.

"So what were you doing out here? I thought you'd be inside by now."

"I was seeing an old friend off."

Rouge blinks in surprise.

Shadow merely smirks and heads for the door. "Come on. The world won't save itself."

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_

This fic is a product of its time. At the time of writing and uploading this the only canon appearance of the 13th Doctor was the bit at the end of Twice Upon a Time. Her personality here is an extrapolation of that and behind the scenes stuff from BBC.

Title is lyrics from the song Live Life by Crush 40.


End file.
